Blame it on the Mistletoe
by Blu Taiger
Summary: Calvin attends a Christmas party in a rather grinchy mood. So Susie takes it upon herself to get him into the holiday spirit.


Calvin's mother waved at him as she drove away. "Bye Calvin. I'll be back in a few hours, have fun at your little party!"

_Yeah, right._ Calvin thought to himself. To his mom, he waved back saying "Sure thing, mom!"

Once the car was out of sight, Calvin glumly turned to the door of the gymnasium. He took a deep breath and entered into the hall. The room was brazenly decorated with a vast assortment of holiday decor; wreathes hung on every wall, several giant foam nutcrackers lined the room as makeshift sentries, holly and poinsettias were scattered around festively and there were several Christmas trees and holiday lights twinkling and blinking in a dazzling display.

The room was filled with Calvin's fellow students – well, perhaps that was the wrong term, _fellows_ would imply that he interacted with them. So his schoolmates then – although _mates_ would bare a similar connotation, so the people who attended his school, the room was filled with them. They were spread around throughout the hall, some were chatting animatedly with their friends, some were dancing to the music playing through the stereo, a few were actually singing along with the music while others had congregated around the food table as the few adult supervisors hung back, keenly watching the youngsters for any misconduct.

Calvin squared his shoulders and plunged into the crowd. He passed through them, speaking to no one, paying no mind to the faces that glared at him like they so often had in the halls of the junior high.

Then he stumbled upon a sight that gave him pause. He saw a lone figure that seemed to be staring at the wall. As he approached, the figure turned and he looked into a face he knew quite well.

"Hi Calvin." Susie Derkins smiled when she saw him. "You just get here?"

"Uh, yeah." Calvin replied, dully.

"Having fun?" Susie asked.

"Eh." Calvin shrugged dishearteningly. "... Why were you staring at the wall?" he asked.

"Oh, I was just admiring the mistletoe." she gestured to the wall where a leafy green sprig bedecked with white berries hung.

Calvin stared at the sprig. "Mistletoe? What's that for?"

Susie rounded on Calvin. "You've never seen mistletoe during the holidays?" she asked, aghast.

"Well, yeah I've _seen_ it but I never really _got_ what it was about." Calvin replied.

Susie put on a soft smirk. "Well you see, tradition has it that when someone stands under the mistletoe they can't be denied for a kiss."

"_A KISS?_" Calvin reeled back, his eyes wide. Then he calmed down once he realized that neither he nor Susie were actually _under_ the darn plant.

"Mmm hmmmm." Susie hummed gazing back at the mistletoe. "Isn't it so festive?"

"You bet! Nothing puts me into the holiday spirit quite like using a poisonous parasite to incite acts of chauvinism!" and with that, he walked away, leaving a befuddled Susie behind.

Calvin trudged his way over to the far wall and leaned himself against it, crossing his arms over his chest. And there he stood. For a great length of time he simply stood motionless, watching as everyone cavorted around, dancing and joking and making themselves merry. He watched them all the while; with a baleful expression on his face and sullen indifference in his heart.

"_'All the Whos down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot. But the_ Grinch, _who lived just north of Whoville, did not.'_"

Calvin turned around sharply to see that Susie was now standing beside him, grinning mirthfully. "_WHAT?_" he gawked at her.

Susie laughed heartily. "Come on Calvin, lighten up! This is a _party_, go out and have some fun!"

Calvin sighed darkly. "Susie, I'm only here because my parents made me come! I have no desire to fraternize with you or anyone else!"

"Well since you're here, you _might as well_ have some fun _anyway_."

Calvin glared at the girl. "Look, I am _not_ what you'd call a social butterfly, _got it?_"

"No. If anything, you're more like a mosquito."

"Mosquito, huh?" Calvin growled. "How 'bout if I go _mantis_ on ya?" he jabbed his arms out in what he took to be a threatening gesture.

To his surprise, Susie started laughing again. "What is _this_ supposed to be?" she asked, doing a haphazard imitation of Calvin's gesture.

"Mantis claws." Calvin replied indignantly.

Susie smirked. "Sorry, I'm not really picking up _praying mantis_, so much as _lost puppy_."

Calvin glared down at his arms then fell back into his original position with a sour groan.

"Come on Calvin," Susie chided. "is nothing I can say to get you out of this funk?"

"Nothing." Calvin growled.

Susie breathed deeply. "Oh well. I suppose I'll just have to eat all these cookies by myself, then."

"I'll alert the media." Calvin snapped as she sauntered passed him. "... _Wait, cookies?_"

* * *

><p>So Calvin followed Susie and her plate of cookies as she set herself down on the floor.<p>

After a couple of cookies and a bit of eggnog, Susie had finally gotten Calvin to open up a bit. "So, just why _are_ you in such a sour mood, anyway?" she asked. "Don't you _like_ parties?"

Calvin took a deep swig from his eggnog then replied. "Not really – forced to go someplace I'd rather not be, surrounded by people I don't get along with..." he took another sip from his cup. "Just not my scene."

"You get along with me alright." Susie countered.

Calvin supposed that was true enough – ironic though it was, as he had spent the better part of his childhood mercilessly teasing and aggravating her. "Well I suppose there's always _some_ exceptions."

Susie hummed thoughtfully. "So if you hadn't come here, what would you've done instead?"

"I dunno." he shrugged. "Probably would've done something with Hobbes. Maybe gone outside and had a snowball fight, play some games – whatever I'd have done, you can bet I'd be having way more fun than I am here!"

"Pretty bold statement." Susie remarked. "You really think you'd have so much fun with just Hobbes for company?"

"Well ya know Susie, it's been my experience that fun's more about who you're with than what you do."

Susie fixed him with a probing stare. "... Wow. That was strangely profound."

"Thanks." he said, sparing her a brief smirk. "But, as it stands, my best friend is back at home and I've got nothing to do."

Susie sat for a moment, swirling the eggnog in her cup and looking contemplative. "You know what _my_ experience has been?" she said at length.

"I think you're about to tell me."

"It's been my experience that happiness is really just a state of mind. You can either let circumstances bog you down, or you can find something to be happy about."

Calvin slumped back against the wall. "Easy for you to say." he moaned. "I mean, what do _you_ have to be unhappy about?"

She paused for a bit, then said. "How many songs can you name that they've played at this party?"

Calvin stared at her. "... That's a bit of a non sequitur."

"Just answer the question – I promise there's a point."

"Okay, let's see." he thought for a moment. "... There's been Jingle Bells, Holly Jolly Christmas, Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree, Santa Clause is Coming to Town,... I think there might've been the Twelve Days of Christmas,... Frosty the Snowman..."

"Right. But you know what they _haven't_ played? Silent Night, Away in a Manger, O Little Town of Bethlehem – not even The Little Drummer Boy."

Calvin looked at her confused for a moment. Then she continued. "Everyone always gets so caught up in the secular aspects of the holidays; Santa dominates the scene everywhere you look and people are always running around in a mad dash trying to get everything done – getting presents for everyone, baking, making up cards, setting up complex decorations – and every year it seems like people forget the reason why we celebrate Christmas in the first place."

"So that's your problem?" Calvin asked.

"Yes!" Susie replied. "I think it's disgraceful that people get so absorbed in petty, worldly matters that they lose sight of what's really important.

"But, I don't let that get me down. I mean, there's always something to be happy about, no matter what the world throws at you. For instance, you're here without your best friend, and you're bummed about that, right?"

"Yeah..." Calvin drawled, giving her a _duh_ look.

"But on the other hand, you _have_ a best friend! And you know he'll be there for you when you go home, right?"

"... _Yeah_."

"Well, wouldn't you say that's something to be happy about?" she looked at him expectantly.

Calvin stared for a moment, mulling that over. "_I guess_." he said at last.

"There you go." Susie smiled at Calvin, playfully pushing him on the shoulder.

"Not sure it fixes my mood, though." he added.

"Well, there're always remedies for that. You could – "

An outside voice interrupted her then, loudly saying "Are you two gonna smooch, or what?"

The two teens looked up in startled astonishment. Directly in front of them were a number of revelers all looking at them with intense interest. More than a little confused at the comment, they both turned their heads upward and saw, to their horror, that they were situated directly beneath the mistletoe.

"Wha – How long has _that_ been there?" Calvin shouted, aghast.

"_Oh my gosh..._" Susie gasped, her cheeks turning a deep pink hue.

The two of them quickly skittered away from the mounted plant with a host of snickers and catcalls trailing after them.

"Well, _that_ was mortifying!" Calvin growled when they finally put some distance between them and the hecklers.

"_You're telling me!_" Susie concurred.

After that incident, they both came to a sort of unspoken consent that they should put some distance between each other for the rest of the night, lest anyone at the party started to get any funny ideas about the two of them. So they separated, each going their separate ways.

Calvin started trudging back to the wall where he had originally been, but then he paused; the things Susie had said to him earlier reverberated in his mind. Ought he to return to his sullen by-standing, or should he make an attempt to be sociable? Absently, he turned a glance to the corner where Susie was chatting with some of her friends. For a brief moment, she caught his eye and sent him an encouraging smile. He sent a small smile back at her and turned to where a group of people had gathered around the refreshment table.

The remainder of the evening passed without remarkable incident. Calvin did manage to do a bit of socializing here and there, but for the most part simply meandered about. He would listen to the music playing and occasionally tap out a few steps to the tune. Overall, when he would look back on it, he could say that while he may not have had a blast, he had at least managed to enjoy himself.

At length, the party drew to a close. The revelers slowly began herding out of the gymnasium to the parking lot where their parents would be waiting.

As Calvin was strolling out of the hall, he once again ran into Susie.

"Hey Calvin!" she said.

"Hey." he replied.

"So,... did you have fun?" she asked.

"Yeah, I guess I – " he stopped abruptly, glaring at the wall behind them. Susie followed his gaze to see that they were once again under the mistletoe.

"Oh come _on!_" Calvin griped. "How do we keep ending up under this thing?"

Susie chuckled "Maybe the universe is trying to tell us something." she said, cheekily.

"_Like heck it is._" Calvin growled, staring the sprig down as if it had just insulted him.

Susie sighed. "Let it go, Calvin. It's not important."

Calvin gave the plant one last glare before making a dismissive grunt. He turned back to Susie. "Well, guess I'll see you around." he said.

"See you around." she agreed.

"And Susie."

"Yes?"

"Thanks." Calvin turned and walked away.

Susie watched him go. She sighed contently as she felt a warm feeling inside from what had just transpired.

Then all of a sudden, Calvin was back, standing right in front of her. "Ah, what the heck." he said. And in one quick motion, he grabbed her chin and leaned in, planting a swift kiss on her cheek.

Susie had no response for what just happened. Her wide eyes gawked up at Calvin, blinking. Her mouth fell open in a wide gape.

"Merry Christmas." Calvin said as he turned to go once again.

Susie lifted her hand to the cheek Calvin had kissed as she watched his retreating form. "Merry Christmas." she breathed, so low she was certain he couldn't hear.

* * *

><p>"So, how was the party?" Calvin's mom asked as they drove home.<p>

"Fine." Calvin replied, noncommittally. But while he appeared bored and uninterested on the outside, inside he was in a frenzy! What was he thinking? He just _kissed_ Susie Derkins! There was no telling how this was going to impact their relationship. Would she hate him? Would she never want to speak to him again? Or would this go the other way; would she want to get into an _actual_ relationship – with dating and romance and all that? He wasn't sure which of the prospects would be worse.

Then there was the gossip factor; it had been bad enough when everyone had caught them under the mistletoe, what would happen when they found out that he _actually_ kissed her? And he was certain he would never hear the end of it once Hobbes found out about it. And he _would_ find out, Calvin had no doubt about that.

But now wasn't the time for all this worry, they were nearly home. He had to gather his nerves, steel himself. Whatever would come would come. And whatever happened, it would all blow away after a while. And, if all else failed, he could always blame it on the mistletoe.

* * *

><p><strong>AN, Disclaimer:** So, I bet you were all expecting the next installment of _In Love and War_; but you see, my computer has lamentably gone the way of all the earth. Hopefully, I'll be getting a new one over the holidays, or perhaps early in the new year – in the meantime, I'm resigned to using my brother's computer.

Now then, the characters of _Calvin and Hobbes_ are property of Bill Watterson, as are all legal rights regarding said characters.

Oh, and Merry Christmas, to all of you from all of me!


End file.
